Antonio’s warning. “This will actually work better and be more believable. Drinking and driving on wet roads are always a fatal combination. Jayden is taking her car and going alone. It won’t take much effort to drug her drink and take her from the club. Everyone will be too busy doing their own thing to notice when she disappears.”
“Sir, I have just one question,” Jerome asked, “Why are we going to so much trouble to make it look like she’s dead instead of just taking her? It’s not like anyone would know it’s you, and it just seems like a lot of additional trouble.”
“Trust me, my family would be the first people her mother would suspect if Jayden suddenly went missing. Besides, it’s poetic justice, since her mother used an accident years ago to take her from me.
She needs to believe Jayden is dead so she doesn’t come sniffing around,” I explained calmly.
“Then why not just kill the family if they pose a problem?” he asked, still confused.
“Because I need them alive to control Jayden until she accepts her life again,” I said slowly, grinding my teeth in irritation. “You need to learn the nuances of controlling people. Everyone has a weakness that makes them easy to control. Jayden’s family is hers.
I want no mistakes; she’s going to disappear. Jerome, you’ll be with me. Antonio, you’ll take her car to the bridge and stage the accident at the river. I want it to look like she lost control and drowned, and her body swept away in the accident. The water is high and the current is strong enough to make it plausible. Call my pilot and have him standing by at the airport to meet us.”
I walked around to the get in the SUV, pulling open the door and stopped to laugh at Antonio’s worried scowl. “Smile, Antonio. By this time tomorrow night we’ll all be headed home and you can go see that pretty girl of yours.”
I could tell Antonio wanted to argue more, but I wasn’t interested in hearing it. I slammed the door
and put the SUV in gear, pulling out of the parking lot. Only one more night on the lumpy hotel bed and then we’d be home. I couldn’t wait to see the surprise in her eyes when she faced me again. Would she remember me now or had my image really dimmed that much in her memory? There was no flash of recognition in her eyes this summer. Granted, it had been twelve years and I’d changed a lot over that time. I was no longer a gangly, awkward prepubescent kid; I was a grown man who struck fear in the hearts of others. Even without knowledge of the past, she was drawn to me. She repeatedly looked for me during her trip. Her memory just needed jogging. In less than twenty-four hours, I would have Jayden and I could begin reintroducing her to her life.
The Hall was a country-themed bar; complete with a jukebox in the corner, dark faux wood paneling, neon beer signs and pails of peanuts on the tables. The band played an eclectic mix of music, but stuck mostly to anything country. Even though it wasn’t right next to the campus, it still drew in the college crowd by offering simple comfort foods like burgers and chicken strips at ‘poor-student’
prices and had an arcade in the back. For the most part, the only people here over the age of twenty-five were the bouncers and the bartenders.
Stephen found me shortly after I arrived and introduced me to his friends at his table. Sitting around talking and getting to know everyone made me realize everyone was facing the same fears and insecurities. Like Mom said, we were all just trying to find our way.
I met a few of the girls from my floor and exchanged numbers and promises to meet for coffee the next day. I was actually having a lot of fun and was glad I came. The later the night got, the more my insecurities began to melt away and my confidence grew.
Stephen and I exchanged stories of home, getting to know each other better. We danced and played video games and pool with some of his friends. He finally asked me
“Sir, I have just one question,” Jerome asked, “Why are we going to so much trouble to make it look like she’s dead instead of just taking her? It’s not like anyone would know it’s you, and it just seems like a lot of additional trouble.”
“Trust me, my family would be the first people her mother would suspect if Jayden suddenly went missing. Besides, it’s poetic justice, since her mother used an accident years ago to take her from me.
She needs to believe Jayden is dead so she doesn’t come sniffing around,” I explained calmly.
“Then why not just kill the family if they pose a problem?” he asked, still confused.
“Because I need them alive to control Jayden until she accepts her life again,” I said slowly, grinding my teeth in irritation. “You need to learn the nuances of controlling people. Everyone has a weakness that makes them easy to control. Jayden’s family is hers.
I want no mistakes; she’s going to disappear. Jerome, you’ll be with me. Antonio, you’ll take her car to the bridge and stage the accident at the river. I want it to look like she lost control and drowned, and her body swept away in the accident. The water is high and the current is strong enough to make it plausible. Call my pilot and have him standing by at the airport to meet us.”
I walked around to the get in the SUV, pulling open the door and stopped to laugh at Antonio’s worried scowl. “Smile, Antonio. By this time tomorrow night we’ll all be headed home and you can go see that pretty girl of yours.”
I could tell Antonio wanted to argue more, but I wasn’t interested in hearing it. I slammed the door
and put the SUV in gear, pulling out of the parking lot. Only one more night on the lumpy hotel bed and then we’d be home. I couldn’t wait to see the surprise in her eyes when she faced me again. Would she remember me now or had my image really dimmed that much in her memory? There was no flash of recognition in her eyes this summer. Granted, it had been twelve years and I’d changed a lot over that time. I was no longer a gangly, awkward prepubescent kid; I was a grown man who struck fear in the hearts of others. Even without knowledge of the past, she was drawn to me. She repeatedly looked for me during her trip. Her memory just needed jogging. In less than twenty-four hours, I would have Jayden and I could begin reintroducing her to her life.
The Hall was a country-themed bar; complete with a jukebox in the corner, dark faux wood paneling, neon beer signs and pails of peanuts on the tables. The band played an eclectic mix of music, but stuck mostly to anything country. Even though it wasn’t right next to the campus, it still drew in the college crowd by offering simple comfort foods like burgers and chicken strips at ‘poor-student’
prices and had an arcade in the back. For the most part, the only people here over the age of twenty-five were the bouncers and the bartenders.
Stephen found me shortly after I arrived and introduced me to his friends at his table. Sitting around talking and getting to know everyone made me realize everyone was facing the same fears and insecurities. Like Mom said, we were all just trying to find our way.
I met a few of the girls from my floor and exchanged numbers and promises to meet for coffee the next day. I was actually having a lot of fun and was glad I came. The later the night got, the more my insecurities began to melt away and my confidence grew.
Stephen and I exchanged stories of home, getting to know each other better. We danced and played video games and pool with some of his friends. He finally asked me
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